all tied up…

This is the next piece in my small collection of chain sinnets. This is the simplest in structure, being made of only two loops.

In the days of commercial sailing, sailors had to work continually on maintenance. They had only natural materials for use in hull and rigging. Once a vessel was launched, it started a decline into oblivion. How quickly this happened was, to a large extent, determined by the handling and maintenance. A vessel which wasn’t pushed too hard, and which had steady work on those parts that needed it, lasted longer. A longer life meant a better chance at making money for the owner.

One of the common tasks on board a ship was unmaking large cordage that had been taken out of service, and remaking it into smaller, useful lines. Many of these were then made up into chaffing gear and the like. Some of it went back aloft to serve in those places where a lighter line would do. One of the ways to make these lines was to lay them up into twisted cordage. One of the ways to make them was to make them into sinnets.

Thank you for dropping by to see my parade of knots. I appreciate your visit. Come back again; I try to keep something new up to reward your return. Next time you’re at the parade, wave when you see me:
William

This sinnet at first glance seems to be kin to the last sinnet I posted. The “Flat-Bottomed Chain Sinnet” is like this one only by a loose semblance of the cross-section and the chain sinnet structure. They are made from entirely different braiding methods, and the structure is different. All three corners on this distinctly triangular sinnet look the same, and are produced by the same actions. The other sinnet’s top corner is similar to this one — the bottom two corners while alike, are different from the other corners in both these sinnets. This sinnet looks the same no matter which corner is up, and the same on all three flats. The Flat-Bottomed Sinnet is just that — from the bottom it is wide and flat. The peak on the flat-bottomed sinnet is low and blunt — maybe 1/3 to 1/2 the distance across the bottom. This sinnet is the same across all flats, and makes a noticeably high peak.

This sinnet was made in paracord, as a prototype for a lifting handle. It is strong, but also soft and flexible. It would work for some things, but I ended up choosing another sinnet for this project. I do think this sinnet will appear in some future project. It is handsome, strong, comfortable to hold, fast to make up, and very flexible — I can only assume that My Lady Rose wishes I had similar virtues in like proportions.

Thank you for dropping by my site. If you can think of any way I can improve either my site or my knotting skills, please let me know. See you next time you drop by my parade of knots:
William

This is another chain sinnet I made while my brain was elsewhere — my fingers stayed busy with the Monkey Method of knotting. When I saw the sinnet that resulted, I had to put my brain back on watch to figure out how I was doing it.

This is a single strand chain sinnet. If you were to cut it and look at the end, the profile is flat bottomed with 2 sides sloping up to a truncated point. A sort of mutated / morphed triangle, if you like. Depending on how you work it, the width ranges from 3/4″ to 1″. The height ranges from 3/8″ to just over 1/2″. Pulled tight, it closes up nicely. Left loose, it has a more open and lacy look.

This sinnet works up fairly quickly, and if you pull on the end string it vanishes in a quick flurry of motion. If you want to keep it around, you must lock the last loop — even the slightest pull will start to unravel it if you don’t.

Thank you for pausing you surfing long enough to look at my site. Come back again; I try to keep the parade of knots moving. Something new to reward your visits is always nice.
William

First I would like to thank Irving Drink for visiting my site, and especially for leaving a comment. It took a while to answer because I had real-world things to do, then I had to tie the knots and take the photographs. I will try to make it worth the wait.

The bracelets on the Internet fall into two broad categories. One is the Nantucket / Sailor’s / Pirate’s bracelet. The Nantucket name is used mostly in the northeast seaside states. In the south and down island, or any of the warm vacation spots south of the U.S., the customary name is a Sailor bracelet. In places where there were more surfers, it was called a Surfer’s bracelet. Thanks to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies it is now picking up the name of Pirate’s bracelet. I grew up in south Florida and the rule was — “whatever separates the gringos from the green”. You call it whatever ups the chance that they will buy it. They are usually made out of cotton cord, and are typically a Turk’s Head knot of 3 passes. The bight count (the number of lobes around the sides) varies with the wrist size. This one is very small, but serves as an example. You pre-tie an assortment of sizes and fit them to the customer at purchase.

Turk's Head Knot Of 3 Passes X 8 Bights

The other bracelets are the ones popular on outdoor sportsman / survival web sites. These are usually made of square knotting. The theory is that in the woods, if you need some cord in an emergency, you unravel the bracelet to get the needed length. The cord used to tie the visible square knots is about five times the length of the knotting. So if you have a ten inch wrist, you get about fifty inches of cord. You can use the filler cords to reattach your watch, or whatever it held. The straight flat bar is called the “Solomon’s Bar” in “Ashley’s Book of Knots”. On knot sites this is considered the ultimate reference book on knots. You will see knots referred to as something like — “ABOK #2496” — the number for the Solomon Bar.

A short length of Solomon's Bar, white paracord over green fillers.

Because the sellers have to compete in a crowded market, they have to come up with new names or knots to sell. Some people are also more sophisticated buyers, because the grew up with friendship bracelets. They have seen some better knots, and expect better knots. The following pix are of four strand sinnets (braids) that are starting to show up at vacation spots. The first two are flat sinnets, with the difference being how the colors were arranged at the start. The second two sinnets are round / square sinnets with the same color starts.

A short length of 4 strand flat sinnet, with a bi-color diagonal stripe pattern.

A short length of 4 strand flat sinnet, with a bi-color pattern in which the color skips to the other side after two tucks.

A short length of 4 strand round sinnet, with a bi-color spiral pattern.

A short length of 4 strand round sinnet with a bi-color vertical stripe pattern.

This picture is of a sinnet that is starting to show up on the net. Ashley refers to it as a “three strand plat”, ABOK # 2961. It is made from two cords acting as stationary fillers, and a third that weaves over these in a figure eight motion. It has a lot more body than it seems it should. Because there are no individual knots to tie, it makes up fast — but you have to hold it securely while working, or it will un-make almost as fast.

A short length of Three Part Plat.

To learn how to make the one of your choice, some of the knot sites in my links list have tutorials. The “Instructables” site has several tutorials on various bracelets and other knotting subjects. Many of the tutorials from other sites have migrated there. You should note that some of the knotting sites presume a fair amount of knot knowledge. The “Instructables” site assumes a lower skill level.

I have been toying with the idea of putting up some tutorials on things that aren’t already covered on the net. I don’t see any need to re-plow a field, but there are gaps in the coverage. If you can’t find a tutorial that teaches you what you need to know, drop me a line. Tell me which bracelet or knot you are interested in, and I will see about putting up a tutorial. If you are having a problem using an existing tutorial, it would help if you told me where the mis-step is. I could then be sure to give more explicit coverage to that part of the lesson.

Here are some links to sites that have tutorials covering the bracelets discussed:

“Instructables”: They have a very broad coverage because they act as a library for lessons produced by many people. This include some of those below, like the next link to Stormdrane’s site.

“Stormdrane”: This is one of the older sites in the outdoors-man type of knots. He has an excellent site and gives brief tutorials if a project introduces a new form of knot which hasn’t been covered.
“Knot Heads World Wide”: KHWW has an extensive forum. There is also a gallery and an assortment of tutorials. They do expect a certain level of knowledge, but reward that prior work with excellent advancement built on that knowledge.

“The Pineapple Knot Forum”: This is a site populated by a very knowledgeable crowd. They are also a friendly and helpful bunch of folks.

“Alaska Museum Of Fancy Knots”: This is an old URL; this site is the seed form which the “Pineapple Knot Forum” grew. People I have sent here have been both happy and successful with it. This link is directly to a very good tutorial on the “Nantucket Bracelet”.

If you are still with me you deserve special thanks. I hope this longer than normal post has helped. If there is anything that I need to do better / differently let me know. To hear is — well … to at least take it under consideration — to seriously think about obeying. See you next time:
William

A few posts ago I showed you a new hat band I had
made so I could have one with a classier look
than my bi-color eight strand sinnet. When watching
TV, I keep my hands and the unneeded portion of my
brain busy by playing with string. This semi-
mindless messing around is what I call
the “Monkey Method” of knot tying. It has allowed
me to figure out how to tie knots that I couldn’t
learn any other way. Every once in a while it lets
me discover how to make a new-to-me knot or braid.
On that day I came up with a seven strand sinnet of
under 1, over 2, under 2, over 1 weave. The count
works from either edge — the over 2, under 2 in
the center of the sinnet makes it look bolder than
most other braids of this width. At just under an
inch, and done in black, it fulfills my need for a
new and dressier hat band. Because the plait is
formed by an under 1, over 2 from alternating sides,
it builds quickly.

The only drawback to this plait is that there is
minimal inter-strand friction. This means your
fingers must supply the holding force to keep it
tightly woven while you work the strands.

The floor is still open for comment on how to make
a better looking hat band for dress occasions. I
like this one, but lacking other ideas, will wear
it.
But I am not so conceited as to think I have
invented the ultimate braid — I leave that
distinction open for you to win. Let me know how
you think this hat band could be bettered, or
replaced with its better kin.

I greatly appreciate your visits / comments. Come
by again, and don’t feel shy about making a comment:
William

This is the next sample of my work: a braided hat band made with paracord in a 8 strand flat braid with doubled strands. It does add a few ounces to your hat but I have received many positive comments while wearing it. Please tell me what you think and if there is any way to improve it.